Saturday, July 6, 2013

There will be more 'libertarian millennials' like Edward Snowden

July 3, 2013 - "Something new is revealing itself in the tale of Edward Snowden and it is coming quickly into the general consciousness. Snowden is part of the global town square, created by social media, which is effectively running politics in Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, and will do so in the West, too.

"Snowden, who spent his 30th birthday on the run, is one of a new breed I call the 'Libertarian Millennial. Apolitical, perhaps even post-political, they do what they do because they have come to their own conclusions in their own time and in their own way. 'I don’t want to live in a society that does these [surveillance] sort of things… I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded,' Snowden declares. There you have it: 'I don’t', 'I do not' and 'everything I do and say' are the key phrases here....

"It is no surprise that Snowden contributed to the 2012 presidential campaign of Ron Paul, who supports curtailing the powers of government. In his maverick stance, and that of his son, Senator Rand Paul, the young find a model for taking on the system as a personal quest. Snowden becomes, in his fight, what Millennials look up to: a charismatic individual, who by sheer power of self-belief can create support, even a movement."